Mark Griffin

Against Me’s singer/songwriter Tom Gabel’s 2012 decision to transition from male to female (adopting a new name, Laura Jane Grace) is already well documented so I won’t bother offering a recap here. Of course her decades-long gender dysphoria isn’t just the heart of this album, it’s the bones, muscles, sinew, skin, sweat and spit of it as well. These are declarations of identity struggle and society’s reaction to it that she’s waited her whole life to make openly, and she doesn’t mess around. The tone is urgent, ferocious, joyful and raw; the music is forceful as a punch but catchy enough that you’re swept up, not assaulted, by it. Grace is a unique voice in the punk landscape and this album, at less than 30 minutes, is well worth checking out.